The First Four Months of The Pochettino Era

A look at Poch's start to life at Chelsea going over the good and the bad, with an overall grade.

Mauricio Pochettino was handed a two-year deal with an option to extend by a further 12 months in May, in a move that divided the fanbase at the time. With any managerial appointment, there are naturally cynics and critics, and that was heightened by the fact Poch has history with rivals Tottenham Hotspur. 

Chelsea currently sit 11th in the Premier League on 11 points which is not good enough, but we all know there are mitigating circumstances as to why that’s the case. 

There are a lot of factors to consider when it comes to grading Pochettino’s start in charge of our club. The points and results aren’t quite what we’d want, but I’m convinced they’re going to come and that he’s the right man for the job. 

The higher-ups at Chelsea saw him as the perfect candidate to guide the club through this transition period and get the best out of the plethora of young talent we possess. They conducted a long interview process that saw managers like Luis Enrique and Julian Nagelsmann beaten by Poch to the managerial vacancy. 

Pre-season couldn’t have gone much better for Chelsea, we were beating very competitive Premier League sides, we were scoring goals, and we were seeing encouraging patterns of play. I was riding the hype train at that point and was genuinely so excited for the season to start, but the final game of pre-season put a huge dampener on those feelings. 

When Mats Hummels clattered Christopher Nkunku in Chigaco, we all thought it was just a knock (similar to Palmer’s for the U21’s last Thursday that he’s already recovered from), but finding out he’d be absent for the best part of six months put a huge spanner in our plans. 

The injury crisis Poch has had to endure is quite ridiculous and it’s only October. This clearly affects what the management are trying to do with the team and impacts how the team would gel, hence why I believe we’ve got to be patient and I have to consider it when grading his time at the club so far. 

Chelsea players that have missed games through injuries this season are:

• Wesley Fofana

• Christopher Nkunku

• Reece James

• Ben Chilwell 

• Marcus Bettinelli

• Trevoh Chalobah

• Benoit Badiashile

• Carney Chukwuemeka

• Moises Caicedo

• Romeo Lavia

• Mykhailo Mudryk

• Armando Broja

• Noni Madueke

• Nicolas Jackson

Any manager would struggle with an injury list that big, but Pochettino has a big squad of talented players at his disposal and he definitely could’ve done better with his team selections even in the midst of this crisis. 

The Ben Chilwell and Levi Colwill situation at the start of the season was so frustrating to see. Playing two key players out of position when we had other options irritated the majority of the fanbase. It turns out Colwill is a very handy left-back, but with Chilwell ahead of him it just wasn’t clicking at all. At times, our vice-captain was playing as our furthest forward player which simply was not working. 

Enzo playing as a 10 with Gallagher playing deeper was another selection that baffled everyone. Injury crisis or not, he did not have to play his players out of position. 

The strange selection choices have to be considered when thinking about the start that the gaffer has had to life at Chelsea. 

The recent upturn in form has been so refreshing to see. Before the international break (that came at the worst time), we really looked to have turned a corner. Caicedo, Enzo and Gallagher looked unbeatable in midfield, Cole Palmer was playing some beautiful football, Mudryk was getting some form, Sanchez was literally flying, and so many more players were finally performing. 

As simple as it sounds, it looked like Poch had finally figured out that playing his men in their best positions would make the team better. 

I hope we can continue that momentum against Arsenal on Saturday but the international break may scupper those hopes. Enzo and Caicedo are the core of our side and they have to travel back from a different continent and a different timezone. After the last break, we played Bournemouth where Caicedo didn’t even make the squad and Enzo looked leggy and had his worst game in a Chelsea shirt. 

We’re seeing a team full of young players starting to find their feet, and I remain fully behind Pochettino and I’m convinced he’s the right man to guide Chelsea back to the top. There’s something about this group of players that is so likeable and a lot of that is down to the manager’s personality and charisma.

He’s known to be an elite man-manager and has the character to back his players publicly as well as help them behind closed doors. Graham Potter was a good tactician but didn’t have what it takes to be Chelsea’s manager personality-wise. Poch does.

All things considered, I’d grade Mauricio Pochettino’s time at Chelsea so far as a B-

There are things to work on and our points tally isn’t good enough, but there are genuine reasons for that and I’ve seen enough to know in my mind that he’s the right man for us. 

I’d love to hear your ratings in the comments too. 

Let’s hope we can continue the pre-international break momentum against Arsenal on Saturday. UTC. 

By Will Reyner